Joy Reid has voiced strong criticism regarding the potential reelection of President Donald Trump, particularly in light of his involvement in the events of January 6th.
She contends that such a development would lay bare the shortcomings of democratic institutions.
During a special broadcast on MSNBC, coinciding with the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Reid participated in a panel discussion with prominent network anchors and hosts. According to Mediaite, Reid seized the opportunity to draw a stark contrast between Trump and the revered civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., suggesting that Trump's presidency not only falls short but also casts a shadow over American democratic institutions.
Reid's remarks came after Chris Hayes likened Trump's second term to that of Grover Cleveland, who faced significant controversy upon his return to the presidency. Hayes expressed his hopes for the nation's resilience, stating, "Im rooting for the country... really rooting against crisis and disaster and really hoping that this countrys resilience in all of its glory, which is all the different parts of what makes America America, its not just one person who occupies a single office."
Reid opined that the incoming administration's agenda includes erasing the civic memory of Washington, dismissing civil servants, and implementing controversial executive actions. She elaborated, "The promises on the table are 200 some odd executive actions, an attempt to get rid of birthright citizenship, an attempt to do mass deportation which we thought was being threatened on the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago, apparently, which said, yet you cant come here and do that. And maybe they backed down."
She further criticized the portrayal of a peaceful transition of power, noting, "Were talking about an attempt to portray this peaceful transition of power with people who were convicted in the insurrection, attempt, attending with the person who fulminated, who fomented the coup, being sworn in as president, essentially a delay in the completion of the insurrection, the idea that the institutions will hold."
Reid also referenced Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "content of their character" line, asserting, "We just had a content of their character election... And the person didnt get elected due to the content of their character, to use the phrase the only thing that some folks on the right remember about Doctor King. And so we have now, I believe that this idea of the institutions which the Bidens clearly believe in have been completely exposed by this election."
After briefly acknowledging Marco Rubio, Reid criticized Trump's cabinet choices, stating, "You go down the list of the people. Its no longer a content of their character or great meritocracy. Now, it is people Trump likes to see on television. Its people he thinks will praise him. Its people who will give him what he wants and allow him to do to the American people, to immigrants whom Jesus loved."
Reid concluded with a pointed critique of the administration's stance on vulnerable groups, remarking, "This is supposed to be the great Christian president who is promising to attack immigrants and trans people who are already vulnerable... The cruelty is the point of this coming administration."
She expressed skepticism about the ability of institutions to safeguard the nation, stating, "So it is very hard for me to look at this spectacle of the takeover of the United States by a base mentality of greed and corruption and say the institutions will save us because theyve not done well for us so far."
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